Quitting Quebec

Pictures: One of the soldiers outside the citadel (still a working military base); the view out my hotel window in Quebec City; some of the colorful buildings in the Lower Old Town; the view of the Hotel Frontenac.

July 12, 2010 St. Patrick’s Pub, Quebec City 65.3/570km 5:25pm

OK. I think I’ve figured it out. The bike computer is set for MILES instead of kilometers. I saw a sign this morning that said “Trois Rivieres 80km.” that sign was 9km into my ride. Therefore, I rode 71 kilometers yesterday. If I multiply the 48km that I rode yesterday by 1.6 (conversion from miles to kilometers), I come out with 76.8. Just about right. Also, my total trip from Montreal to Quebec City has totaled 176. It is generally accepted that the distance from Montreal to Quebec City is about 250+ kilometers. If I multiply 176 x 1.6, I come out with about 280. That would be about right considering some of the side trips I’ve taken (following the bike route off the main road (but then rejoining it). So, those are the numbers I’ve included at the top of today’s entry. It also directly impacts the speed I thought Id been traveling. Normally, when I look down at my computer on the flats, my speed is inevitably between 15 – 16. That’s MILES PER HOUR. Translated to kilometers, that’s 24 – 25.6 kilometers per hour. Not too bad. I had been thinking that I was just really slow. But I was passing a TON of people yesterday (when I was riding amid the Ride to Conquer Cancer people). Oh, well. All part of the adventure.

I’ve heard a couple of times from the Editor of Esquire: Middle East while on the trip. He really liked the piece I submitted, but he’s had to cut it down. I always like to give editors a lot of stuff to work with and let them shape it as they wish. Anyway…he will be sending me a final mock-up for my approval. When he does, I’ll send it along to everyone. It’s pretty exciting. I’m hoping that this might lead to more work with them (or even with other magazines in the region. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.

Today was a pretty brutal ride. There was the HEAT, but also some REALLY big hills. Just put the bike in the lowest gear and hunker down to pedal like hell. In addition, as I was coming out of Donnacone, for some reason, the computer went from displaying all of the totals from Montreal to beginning at “0” on all counts (time cycled, total distance, etc.). Pretty frustrating. But, there still was an overall counter somewhere, and I managed to retrieve it. That’s where I got the 176 number that I discussed earlier.

Quebec City certainly is a LOOONG city. Once I hit the city outskirts, it was almost another 45 minutes to an hour before I actually arrived in the Old Town. For good measure, there were a couple of detours thrown in along the way. It’s all good, though.

I’ve spoiled myself a little bit by getting a room at the Hotel Clarendon, the oldest hotel in the Vieux Carre (the Old Town). It’s REALLY nice. I’ve noticed that a number of hotels that I’ve stayed in have terrycloth bathrobes in the closet for the guests to use (which can also be purchased upon departure (new ones). Pretty cool. AND, the room that I have for tonight (moving to a little cheaper room tomorrow) has a jacuzzi int eh bathroom. Sooooo cool. Anyway…I’ll be here in Quebec City tonight and tomorrow night before heading out towards the good ol’ US of A on Wednesday. I passed Route 175 Sud (south) on the way into Quebec City, so I just need to retrace those tracks, and I’ll be heading toward Maine. I might even stay one more night here in Quebec City because I’ve looked at some of my itinerary for the coast of Maine and I’ve found that I have a couple of pretty short legs. If I need to pick up any time at any point, I can do it there. I’m just saying.

While on my way walking from the hotel over here to St. Patrick’s Pub, I passed a bookstore and picked up The Girl Who Played With Fire because I should be finished with Monsieur Quixote by tomorrow. I really enjoyed the first one in the series, so I’m hoping this one keeps pace. We’ll see. I obviously don’t want to carry more than one book with me at a time. When I get to Bangor, I’ll try to pick up a Rough Guide or Lonely Planet for New England. I forgot both of those books in Dubai, but it’s probably just as well because of the weight they would have added. Once I get into the US, I can ditch the Lonely Planet for Montreal and Quebec City even though it has served me well. Any weight jettisoned it good. I left a pair of gloves and a pair of socks behind in Three Rivers, as well as my boxers (still damp after being washed the night before) and my white ankle-high socks that I’d worn for the whole trip. I still have two more pairs of black ankle-high NIKE socks and one extra pair of gloves (although they’re a little tough to pull on…don’t have the Velcro strap at the wrist). Right now, my tan on both arms extends to just about mid-bicep to just above my wrist. Pretty weird.

Oh, ya. Before I forget, it seems as though I’ve arrived in Quebec City just in the middle of a HUGE music festival. The festival runs from the 8^th to the 18^th of July. Among the musical performers are

The Black Eyed Peas

Steve Winwood

Santana

Iron Maiden

Rush

Jimmy Cliff

Allen Toussaint (those from New Orleans will recognize this name)

I’m sure there are a bunch of popular Canadian popular acts who are also listed, but I have absolutely NO idea who they are.

Apparently, Steve Winwood and Santana are both playing tomorrow night (the 13^th). The venue is a place called “The Planes of Abraham.” Weird. Unfortunately, both shows are sold out. No tickets. Oh, well. Not sure if I would have gone anyway. The older I get, the more I just really HATE crowds (for the most part).

I’m a little worried about my new, expensive camera lens. It seems as though it got a little wet during the downpour in Bertheirville and now has a little trouble with the “autofocus.” I’m hoping to find a camera shop here in Quebec City tomorrow to check out the problem. It’s the only lens that I brought with me. If it’s not working properly, I’m SOL. That would really suck. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

July 13, 2010 Hotel Clarendon, Quebec City 2:30 pm

Well, it’s been a pretty busy day so far. I changed my room first thing this morning. My new room doesn’t have a Jacuzzi in the bathroom. Oh, well. It has a bathtub, though. I’ll think about that later. I got all the stuff laid out to dry before I head out tomorrow. Apparently, David Ortiz won the Home Run Derby yesterday (last night). Not too bad for someone who was supposed to be “washed up.” I had to pay for tonight’s room in cash (US $$) because there’s a problem with my VISA card. I’ll have to try to call Dubai and get it straightened out. I don’t know what’s the problem.

Then I went out and wandered about the Old Town of Quebec City. Some pretty good stuff. I went inside the Basilica of Notre Dame. Pretty impressive. Unusual casket top for Francois de Laval, a missionary who apparently founded the church in New France. The altar was pretty much all in gold, but it was impressive.

I walked out through one of the old city gates and into the city just outside the walls. Apparently, there is someone doing a “tribute” show to Johnny Cash. I’ll bet THAT’s interesting. I know that here in Canada, country music is very popular. Not that that’s a BAD thing.

From there, I walked by one of the concert venues for the festival tonight. It looked as though it could hold quite a crowd. I have to keep remembering that Quebec City is pretty small as far as “cities” go. If there are multiple concerts going on at the same time, I don’t know if any of them will be that crowded. I’m not sure, but I’m not going to find out because I’ll try to be in bed early tonight. I hope to get an early start tomorrow. I’m hoping to get all the way to St. Georges. I’m not really sure how far that is because the kilometer readings on the map aren’t especially clear. Also, I don’t know what kind of terrain it’s going to be. I suppose if it takes me two days to get to Jackman, either way, it’s two days. Between Jackman and Bangor, it looks to be pretty hilly. Along the coast it shouldn’t be too bad. The area around Bill’s house will be a bit tough, though. Like always…we’ll see.

Then I wandered up to The Citadel. Since it’s a working military base, no one is allowed to wander around alone. You either go with a big group tour or you pay for an individual guide. Apparently, the 22^nd Regiment (the occupants) are the baddest MF’s in the whole of the Canadian Army. Anyway…the tour was pretty good. I think I got some pretty good pictures of the city below as well as some of the structures of the fortress. Just at the very end, as we were all walking along the ramparts, it began to rain…not pour…but a steady drizzle. By the time I had gotten out the other side of the building, it had stopped. It’s just been grey and damp since then. I guess I won’t be needing my sunglasses anymore today.

I’ve just uploaded all of my pictures from my camera onto the computer and looked at them. Not too bad. Even though through the viewfinder it doesn’t look as though the lens is focusing, none of the pictures are out of focus. The lighting for most of the pictures today wasn’t great, but at least they were in focus. Oh, well. I’ll just keep my fingers crossed. I’ll include a few more pictures in the blog when I update it later today/tonight before heading out toward the US of A tomorrow.

Didn’t sleep so great last night. Second night in a row that I had some pretty weird dreams. Also, the air conditioning was a bit sporadic. One minute I woke up and I was freezing; the next minute I woke up roasting because the AC had cut out. Oh, well. When I first woke up, I watched a little bit of Robert Downey Jr. on Inside the Actor’s Studio. Pretty interesting stuff. He’s a brilliant talent who’s made a great comeback from near disaster. Well, I guess it pretty much WAS a disaster. But he’s made it back. I watched a bit of Sherlock Holmes on the flight from France to Montreal. Not a wonderful movie, but it’s hard to look away any time Robert Downey is on the screen. (And of course, I ALWAYS appreciate Rachel McAdams.)

July 14, 2010 St. Patrick’s Pub, Quebec City 2:30pm

For whatever reason, I just didn’t get on the bike this morning. I just wanted to stay here in Quebec for one more day before I begin my adventure southward toward Boston.

I spoke with Mom last night on the phone. She sounded a bit tired. I guess that’s to be expected with all the treatments, etc. She expressed concern and suggested that I just jump on a plane and head home. I told her that I needed to put many more miles on the bike and that I really wanted to see Kenny and Liz Greason and see Lisa and Mike’s house in Wells. We’ll see how things develop.

Watched a bit of the All-Star game last night. It turns out that I saw all of the scoring before I fell off to sleep. According to the reports, it was the lowest scoring All-Star game since 1997. It was also the first time that the National League won since 1996. Quite a stretch.

I spent most of this morning wandering around the Lower Old Town of Quebec City. It’s really a lovely little place. Lots and lots of tourist shops, but I pretty much ignored those. As with all of the Old Town, lots of little streets and alleys. I also wandered down to the port. Not much going on there. It has turned out to be a wonderfully sunny day. I’ve taken a few more pictures to round out my collection of Quebec City.

I’ve just finished The Girl Who Played With Fire. Quite a book. I’m going to try to find a copy of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, which is the 3^rd and final part of the trilogy. I know there’s a bookstore that has a hardback copy of it, but I’m not sure I want to carry that on the bike. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll have to wait until I get to Bangor. I tried to buy a David Balducci book last evening, but the bookshop wouldn’t take a US$100 bill. Oh, well. Maybe I’ll go back there.

Definitely getting on the bike tomorrow and hoping to get all the way to Saint Georges. It should be about 80km. I’ve already done close to that a couple of times on this trip. If I get an early start, I should be able to make it.

Oh, ya. On the way between the Lower Old Town and here, I bought a new pair of underpants. It’s been a while since I’ve had any. I think I left the last pair in Three Rivers. Thank goodness. I still have a couple of pairs of socks and one additional pair of gloves.

July 15, 2010 Invitation Inn Motel, Ste. Marie 58/628km 4:30 pm

Little shorter day than I would have liked. I got off to a bit of a late start (almost 9). The route was pretty clear. I had ridden 6 miles before I even got to the turnoff for Rte. 175 South. The terrain, for the most part, was pretty rolling with some rather large hills. Not too bad overall. Once it was clear that I wasn’t going to make it all the way to Ste. Georges, I set my sites on Ste. Marie.

Tomorrow’s forecast is for showers and wind and possible thunderstorms. What I might wind up doing is jumping in a big taxi and head down to Ste. Georges. From there, I’ll head over the border to Jackman, ME. Anyway…that’s the plan. I’ll see what happens when I wake up.

That also might give me the chance to update the blog, which I haven’t done in a little while. I’ve got some nice pictures from Quebec City to add as well.